FBI Cost of Freemen Standoff

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the overall cost of the Montana Freemen standoff and the amount over and above normal expenses that would have been incurred by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had the standoff not occurred. GAO noted that: (1) as of August 7, 1996, the standoff cost about $7.5 million; (2) about half of that total represented regular salaries and benefits for FBI agents and other FBI personnel that would have been incurred even if the standoff had not occurred; and (3) costs attributable to the standoff included $472,000 for scheduled overtime for FBI agents, $1.6 million for transportation and per diem costs, and about $915,000 for miscellaneous costs.